Home In You
by emblah01
Summary: Annabeth Chase didn't expect anything different to happen at her summer camp this year, but, when your best friend happens to be Percy Jackson, and he's coming for the first time this year, well... Stuff happens. Percabeth! Rated T for a reason. AU, no gods. This is a Christian story. Don't like it, don't read it.
1. Chapter 1

_**I'm back with a new story! The first chapter is kind of boring, but it'll speed up once it gets into the story. This is also written in Annabeth's point of view.**_

_**WARNING**__**: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned…**_

_**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_(Annabeth's POV)_

_by emblah01_

* * *

_Chapter One_

"And I hope all of you have a wonderful summer! Please remember to finish your summer reading homework, not to mention the essay question over the holidays. Remember, five thousand words _at least_ on modern day poverty. Please don't forget to take a copy of _The Prince and the Pauper_ with you or you'll get a zero!" Mrs. Mason said, enthusiastic and irritating as always.

The bell rang, a loud piercing sound that scraped the inside of my ears. I gathered my books and placed them inside of my brown messenger bag. I pushed my long, sweaty blonde hair out of my face and adjusted the light blue scarf around my neck.

Freedom.

Other kids were shoving each other out of the way, trying to get to the classroom door first. Groups of friends were chatting away about their plans for summer. Another boy with thick, heavy glasses was talking rapidly to Mrs. Mason about the reading project.

I walked alone.

I had a mere two friends at this school, Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace.

Percy was a troublemaker, to say the least. He had long black hair, with a grey streak in his bangs that he dyed himself and bright green eyes. One day, I asked him to do one for me, so he did. He wore a lot of black clothes and had a bad reputation for sneaking cigarettes in and smoking them on school grounds, but he had only accidentally blown up the band room during orientation.

Okay, that sounded a lot worse than it was supposed to. He was actually a really nice guy, with a big heart. Sure, he was oblivious and sometimes reckless, but he was a good person.

Thalia was a social outcast. Well, not really, she just hated being social to anyone but Percy or I. She also wore a lot of black and dark colours and lined her electric blue eyes over and over again in black pencil. She cut her own black hair with a pair of kitchen scissors, so it was forever off-kilter and jagged and she pierced her ears a lot, also by herself. I think she had also pierced her belly button, but I had never seen it, because she doesn't ever go swimming. She was afraid of drowning.

Thalia and Percy were cousins. Their fathers each owned a very successful business and were, to say the least, filthy rich.

Thalia's father owned the weather program on the local T.V. channel. That may not seem like a lot to most people, but then they see his annual paycheck. It also helped that we lived in New York. She lived with her mom, though, and her brother, Jason, lived with their dad and his wife, ever since her parents divorced when she was ten.

Thalia's mom used to be a successful actress, but was now, for lack of better wording, washed-up and a drunk. At least we knew where we could steal liquor.

Percy's father owned a sea-life conservation organization, but he was always travelling around the world to developing countries near the ocean, to teach them about environmentally friendly alternatives to whatever they were doing. So, Percy was sent to live with his mother and his stepfather in their small apartment in Manhattan. Percy's dad visited him from time to time and sent Mrs. Blofis monthly child support checks. I'd never met him.

My mom, Athena, died while during childbirth. My dad was heart broken. My dad and I have never had the best relationship, and it didn't exactly improve when I came home one night and saw him making out with some pretty Asian lady when I was five. That was how I met Helen. They got married a few months later and when I was almost seven, my two half-brothers, Bobby and Matthew, were born. I ran away two weeks later.

I guess I felt like my dad had replaced me and that I was going to forever be the extra in the family. The unwanted one. I met two very special people along the way and they saved me from the streets. The boy, Luke, took me in and his mom cared for me and the other girl our age. Luke passed away in a car accident two years later. So, I called my dad and he told me how sorry he was, how he missed me, how he loved me and wanted me to come back home. Luke's mom helped me pack up my stuff and we drove across New York to my old house (I still have problems thinking of it as home). That's where I've been living ever since.

Percy and I met when we were twelve. I was going for a jog and he ended up running into me. Literally. He spilled his hot chocolate (with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a touch of mint, of course) all over my white shirt and made me drop my iPod on the sidewalk, effectively cracking the screen. We've been best friends ever since.

Thalia, on the other hand, was a completely different story, but we'll get to that later.

I walked out of the classroom doors. The halls were packed with hot and sweaty teens, running around like headless chickens, trying to find their lockers so they could shove all of their stuff into their bags and get home to enjoy the first day of summer. I scanned the crowd, trying to find my two friends.

I saw a hand covered in a lacy black glove wave above the crowd. I shoved through the endless stream of people to find Thalia smirking at me beside my locker. It looked like she had already packed her stuff from her locker into her bulging black backpack, which was covered in punk-rock band buttons.

"So," she said, "any plans for the summer?"

"Hum," I pretended to think. "Last time I checked, we were going to camp together…"

"You know, girlfriend!" she said and I shook my head, smiling.

I quickly unlocked my locker and started shoving things into my bag.

"But, seriously," Thalia said and rested her elbow on my shoulder, even though she was shorter than me, "do you have any plans this summer?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I shrugged her elbow off of me. "As I have told you so many times, I don't like him like that."

"Pfft!" she scoffed. "I see the way you look at him. You _like_ him."

"Shut up, Thals," I said and elbowed her in what I thought was her gut.

She winced. "Ouch. That really hurt you know."

"Oh please," I scoffed.

"Yeah it did. You hit me in the boob."

"Oh, geez," I said. "Sorry."

I felt someone rest their head on top of mine and their hands poke me in the belly.

"What's this about boob touching?" he asked.

I laughed and turned around to see Percy grinning down at me, green eyes twinkling in amusement. "Oh, nothing. Just us being the lesbian best friends we are." Percy chuckled and rested his forearm on my head. "You know," I said, "just because you're taller than me now, doesn't mean you get to use me as an armrest all the time."

"But it does, Miss Chase," Percy grinned. "But it does."

"So, are you _finally_ going to join us at camp this year, Perce?" Thalia said.

"Well, I talked to my mom and she said that she would think about it," Percy said slowly.

Thalia groaned, "But that always means 'no'."

"Just, shut up for a second, Thals. I'm not done," Percy continued. "And then I told her that it would mean that I would be doing something other than playing video games all day, everyday and she went online and signed me up right away. So, yeah, I am."

"Sweet," I said with a grin. "Now you won't be out of the loop when school starts, like very year."

He nodded in agreement. Percy threw an arm around Thalia and I and we started walking down the halls.

"Let us walk," he said, and added as an after thought, "Let us walk to freedom!"

I heard someone shout, "Losers!" from across the hallway, but decided to ignore them. That was normal. Another boy shoved me with his shoulder and I stumbled, but Percy's arm around my shoulder secured me. Percy sighed and mumbled profanities under his breath. That was normal as well.

"Watch it," I murmured and he rolled his green eyes. We walked out of the school and started down the sidewalk.

Once we out of school grounds, Percy immediately grabbed a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one with a lighter.

I wrinkled my nose. "I really wish you would stop smoking," I told him.

"Well," he said through the death stick in his mouth, "I'm not going to."

"You do realize you won't be able to smoke at camp, right? Or they'll kick you out," Thalia remarked and adjusted her backpack on her shoulders.

"Dammit," Percy cursed. "Oh well. I bet I could last a week. Hopefully."

I rolled my eyes at him. "So, are you guys riding with me to camp? Or is it just I in the car. Alone. With only Helen as my company. Oh, the agony!" I cried melodramatically.

I pretended to faint and fell onto someone's front lawn. "Oh no! Annabeth! Annabeth, my love! Wake up, dearest! Don't go into the light!" Percy cried and shook my shoulders.

I laughed and he helped me up. "I'm your love now, am I?"

"You know you're the only one for me, Miss Chase," he said with a grin.

"Well, you're the only one for me, Mr. Jackson," I said and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed red and shoved me with his elbow.

"Yuck," Thalia said and wrinkled her nose. "Enough of your flirting. Please, your making my eyes burn."

I felt my face heating up and couldn't meet Percy's eyes. "But seriously, guys, are you riding with me to Camp?" I asked.

"When haven't I, Annabeth?" Thalia answered.

"Well, there was that one year…" I started and slipped her a sly look. She quickly covered my mouth with her sweaty hand.

"Shhh!" she said urgently. "Be quiet or the Gremlin King will hear!"

I licked her hand and she pulled it back and wiped it on my white blouse. "Thalia!" I groaned. "This was a new shirt!"

"So? It's gonna get dirty anyway," she said with a 'duh' look on her face. I was about to retort but Percy interrupted me.

"You guys want to stop at Joe's on the way home?" Percy asked suddenly.

I shrugged. "Sure. I could go for an ice cream right now."

"I'm broke," Thalia grunted and kicked a pebble with her army boot (that, of course, she had stolen from her mother's wardrobe one day and never given back).

I sighed. "I'll pay for you," I said. "But you owe me, Thalia Grace."

"I've paid for your movie theatre popcorn enough to cover one ice cream!"

"You've _never_ paid for my popcorn!" I retorted.

"Same difference," she grumbled.

I slapped my palm against my forehead. "You can't have a difference if it's the _same._ That's the definition of a difference!"

Thalia and Percy immediately made pig noses at me and said in nasally voices, "Nerd alert."

"Oh shut up," I said and shoved past them.

* * *

"Hi, my name is Becca. How can I help you today?" the girl behind the counter said with a fake smile.

"One chocolate brownie and one black cherry in a bowl please," I said to the worker. She had long light brown hair swept into a ponytail and pretty blue eyes. Not the intense, electric blue like Thalia's, but a soft baby blue.

"And, I'll take a cookie dough and a New York cherry cheese cake on a cone," Thalia said. She nodded and started to take our orders.

She handed us our ice cream and I paid her the eight dollars and forty-two cents I owed her. She then turned to Percy. "Hi, how can I help you?" she asked and flashed him the same fake smile.

"I'll take two scoops of bubblegum on a cone, please," he said.

She nodded and started scooping out the blue ice cream onto an ice cream cone for him. She handed it to him and he dug out spare change from his pocket. He counted out the correct amount and she placed it into the cash register.

We sat down in our usual booth and I starred out of the window.

"I can't believe you like _bubblegum_ ice cream," Thalia commented and wrinkled her nose.

"Well, I can't believe you _don't_ like it," Percy retorted. "It's_ blue food."_

"Ugh," she cried. "Percy Jackson, you are by far the most infuriating person I have ever had the bad luck to meet."

"Well, Thalia Grace, _you_ are the biggest poop face I've ever had the disfortune to meet," Percy said and stuck his tongue out at her.

"_Poop face?"_ Thalia asked incredulously. "And, 'disfortune' isn't a word, stupid."

"Yeah, it is," Percy argued.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

I sighed and continued to listen to their bickering. They were like siblings that way. Unfortunately, I was going to have to listen to that for however many days at camp.

Camp was in two days and it went on for a week. Well, for us it did. Most kids stayed there all summer to help out as counselors for other age groups, but I never did.

I really couldn't wait for camp. I honestly thought it was going to be like any other summer.

But I should have _known_ something different was going to happen this year. After all, Percy Jackson was coming with me.

* * *

_**I have no clue when I'll be able to update next, but until then, perhaps you could leave me review in the box below.**_

_**Remember, this is rated T for a reason. There will be mentions of sex, drugs, self-harm, and alcohol in this story. The rating will remain at T for now, but will be subject to change.**_

_**-Lou**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Heeeello! This took me all afternoon to type, but I actually really like this chapter. We are introduced to Annabeth's home life a little and her family. Enjoy! And to answer a question, no I haven't read Looking For Alaska, but I plan on doing so in the near future. Just clear this up, this is not based off of any book, though I may throw in some references. Perhaps you may find a The Fault In Our Stars reference in here... Hmm...**_

_**WARNING**__**: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned…**_

_**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_(Annabeth's POV)_

_by emblah01_

* * *

_Chapter 2_

"I'm home!" I called and placed my bag on the hook by our front door.

"In the kitchen!" Helen replied. She was standing by the counter, a mixing bowl cradled in her arm. Her jawbone was smudged with batter and flour covered her hands. "How was school?" she asked.

I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it. "Okay," I said. "I'm glad it's over, though. I went to Joe's after with Thalia and Percy."

"Hm," she responded and began spooning the cookie dough onto baking trays. "Would you go check on Bobby and Matthew for me? They're upstairs all by themselves."

I sighed in exasperation. "Okay." I began the walk upstairs.

Our house was small and quaint. It had light brown walls and white, carpeted floors. The yard in the back was a moderate size and there was an apple tree I used to climb all the time when I was little. Percy and I had even tried to build a tree house there, but it ended with a trip to the minor emergency room after Percy misaimed with the hammer. He says to this day that his thumb has never been the same. I say he's being dramatic.

I could hear the little sound effects of the twins playing in their bedroom. Bobby and Matthew were nine years old. They both had the browns eyes of my father and the black Asian hair from Helen. Their skin was pale and they had long, thick black eyelashes, making them look like girls, sometimes. The question had been asked more than once.

I knocked on the poster-clad door to their bedroom. "Come i-in!" one of them sang.

I pushed open the door. Lego's and action figures were strewn across the floor. They were sitting beside a toy house, made of Lego, of course, and flying model versions of Spiderman and the Hulk.

"SMASH!" Matthew yelled and slammed his fist on a small tower of blocks, sending them flying.

"How are you guys doing?" I asked them.

"Just playing," Bobby said with a shrug. "You want to join?"

"Can't," I said, "but I wish I could. I have to pack for camp."

"Oooh…" Matthew said. He turned back to Bobby, "I'm gonna SMASH YOU!"

"No, you won't! I'll trap you in my spidey webs!" Bobby continued this by making Spiderman sound effects. I laughed softly to myself and closed the door silently.

I padded down the carpeted stairs softly, jumping the last one like I had when I was little. I walked into the living room and turned on the T.V. A rerun of _The Big Bang Theory _was on, so I slouched down into the sofa and began watching, tucking my feet under my thighs.

"Annabeth?" Helen called.

I quickly turned the volume down on the T.V. "Yes, Helen?"

"Am I driving Thalia to camp tomorrow? Or is it just you and me?" she asked from the kitchen. I could hear the faint beeping sound of the timer going off. The smell of melted chocolate and butter filled the house.

"Yes," I said. "Is it okay if Percy comes in the car, too?"

"He's actually coming this year?" she asked.

"Mmmhmm," I answered lazily.

"Well, call them both and tell them I'll pick them up at ten." I heard drawers open and knew she was packing the cookies away for snacks during the week I was gone.

"'Kay," I replied and turned the T.V. off. I snatched the wireless phone from the dining room table. I quickly dialed Thalia's number.

"Hello?" a tired voice answered.

"Hey, it's me," I said ad plopped back onto the couch.

"And? What do you want?" Thalia asked, irritated.

"Geez, what's your problem?"

"You woke me up, dumbass," she drawled. I could hear the sound of _The Walking Dead_ playing on the T.V. in the background.

"Oh," I said, "sorry. Helen just wanted me to let you know that we're picking you up at ten tomorrow."

"Ugh," she groaned. "That's too early." I pictured her stretched out on her bed, in her room, rolling around in aggravation.

I laughed and shook my head. "I'll see you tomorrow Thals."

"See ya." The phone call was ended with a faint _click._

I turned it off and started dialing Percy's number. It rang four times before someone picked it up.

"Hello, Jackson residence."

"Hey, Mrs. Jackson, it's Annabeth," I said.

"Hello, Annabeth. How are you?" she asked. I could picture her warm smile in my mind. Mrs. Jackson had long, wavy light brown hair and clear blue eyes. She was small and slight, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled or laughed. She was probably my second favourite person in the world. Well, adult-wise.

"I'm good, thank you. And you?"

"I'm doing very well," she said. "I suppose you want to talk to Percy?"

"Yes, please," I said. "I just wanted to tell him that we'll be picking him up at ten tomorrow. Will that work?"

"Oh, absolutely," she said. "Let me go find him. I believe he's out on the fire escape."

"Okay," I said and waited.

I heard Mrs. Jackson tell Percy I was on the phone. The crinkling sound of fabric being pressed over a receiver reached my ear and Percy said, "Hey, Annabeth."

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Nothing' much. Just enjoying the sunshine while it lasts. You?"

"Well, I'm talking to you," I said.

I could feel Percy's smirk on the other end of the line. "And that sure is something special, isn't it?"

"You know it," I chuckled. "Anyway, to the point, I wanted to let you know that we'll be picking you up at around ten, perhaps a bit later."

"Okay, sounds like fun," Percy said nonchalantly.

"I can't tell if that was sarcasm," I said slowly.

"Oh no, Anna Banana," he said seriously, "I am dead serious. It'll be my pleasure to be pressed up against a beautiful lady, such as yourself, in the back seat of a car for over an hour."

I wrinkled my nose. "You made that sound really dirty."

"Who said it wouldn't be?"

"Percy!" I scolded and he laughed.

"You busy tonight?" he asked.

"I was just going to pack and then go to bed, why?"

He said, "I don't know. Maybe we could do something?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

I sighed. "I don't think it'll work… I haven't packed a thing, yet."

"Okay," Percy said, trying to mask the dejection in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow at ten," I said.

"Tomorrow at ten," he confirmed.

"Okay."

"Okay."

I pressed the off button on the phone. I pushed myself off the sofa and ran up the stairs. I grabbed my school bag from the hook and slung it onto my shoulder. I walked into my room and threw myself on the bed, after throwing my bag into the corner.

My room was the smallest in the house, because the twins had to share one and Helen and dad got the master. The only other option was the bedroom in the basement, which I didn't want. It was much too cold.

My room was painted a warm off-white. The floors were the same carpet at the rest of the house. There was one big window, which overlooked New York. Right now, the curtains were drawn, creating a pale purple shadow from where the sun shone through. My bed was covered in a thick, grey quilt with two white pillow propped up on the dark, wooden headboard. My laptop was sitting on my wooden desk, the screen saver swirling around the screen.

Around my desk, I had pasted various photos, some of family, some of friends, some of myself, but most were of Percy and I.

There was one of Percy with vanilla ice cream on his nose and me laughing my head off, like it was the funniest thing in the world. That from when we were freshman. Another was one of Percy and I on the swings at the playground. There had only been one, so I was sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me securely against him. That was from this year, when we spent the day at Central Park.

My favourite, though, was the one of Percy, Thalia and I. We were all laying on a field in the fall, the tops of our heads touching in a triangle. My blonde curls were splayed out and Percy's hair was out of his eyes for once, so you could see the sparkle in them. Thalia was smiling for once, and it made her look less intense, more human.

Thalia got into a very bad place when she was thirteen. She started doing drugs and drinking a lot, like her mom. Her grades dropped and she got into more and more fights with her family. It almost ruined our friendship for good.

One day, we got into a fight about her behavior and I grabbed her wrist. Her leather jacket rode up her arm and I saw them. The red lines running up both of her arms. The marks made with a knife. She broke down and cried for half an hour. I just held her and rubbed her back, shushing her and trying to calm her down.

When she finally stopped crying, I called Percy over and we spent the rest of the night watching Disney movies and eating junk food in my basement, Thalia curled up between the two of us.

It shows you how lucky I was. Had I been older when my dad married Helen, the same thing could have happened to me. Or worse.

I pulled my suitcase from under my bed and heaved it onto my bed. I pulled out four old t-shirts and two tank tops and piled the on one half of my suitcase. On the other half, I packed two pairs of shorts and a pair of black yoga pants. I grabbed my bathing suit and board shorts and packed that, as well (camp had a stricked 'no bikinis' rule). I tied my sneakers into a plastic shopping bag and set them on top. I would wear my flip-flops on the ride to camp. I packed shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, some tampons (just in case, of course), etc. in the top pouch. I grabbed my beach towel and folded it neatly on top of all my clothes.

After about ten minutes of struggling, I managed to close the suitcase. I read over my list again, checking off the items I had packed. I set out my clothes for tomorrow on my desk. I sat down at my desk and pulled up my email account. I had a few ones from Facebook, notifying me that so-and-so and uploaded a new picture, but nothing important.

I decided that I would start my summer reading early and pulled _The Prince and the Pauper_ out of my school bag. It was an old copy, dating back to the early sixties. The binding was falling apart and a couple pages were loose, carelessly tucked into the book. I lay down on my stomach and started reading.

_**INSERT LINE BREAK HERE**_

"Dinner!"

I marked my page in the book and set in on my nightstand by my lamp. I heaved myself of my bed and started downstairs. As I was walking down the stairs, I pulled my blonde hair back into a ponytail and straightened my blouse so it covered my middle.

My dad was in the kitchen, talking to his wife. "Hello, Annabeth," he said when he saw me when I entered the kitchen. "How was school?"

"Good," I answered and sat down at the table.

My dad was shorter than the average man and he had a thin, wiry frame. He wore thick glasses that magnified his warm brown eyes. His wavy, honey blonde hair, the same colour as mine, was thinning somewhat. He always wore shiny brown shoes, and, more common than not, his aviator's hat. My dad was a historian and studied historical battle plans, but he specialized in warplanes. I think that's what my mom was attracted to, because I couldn't see her going for a guy like my dad any other way.

I had only one picture of my mom. She looked a lot like me. She had my grey eyes and the same Greek nose. She also smiled the same way, sarcastically and slyly. But her hair was dark brown, though it had the same curl to it. She was beautiful.

My mom worked with the army as a strategist. She had to leave my dad to fly to some confidential battlefield over seas, leaving my dad with a six-month-old baby he couldn't care for and not even a goodbye. My dad said that they were talking about it the night before, trying to figure out what to do, but when he woke up in the morning, she was gone. All she left was a note explaining how she was going to miss him, how she loved him and me, but she couldn't deal with the commitment and the responsibility.

Because that was what I was; a burden, a problem. My dad never wanted a baby. Not really. He was only a year out of college and had student loans to pay off and he couldn't hold a job when he had me.

But he still kept me, even after one month when all we could afford was to rent a bedroom from a family. That was a particularly bad time. I was about two then.

"That's good," he said and sat down at the head of the table, unfolding his linen napkin and laying it across his lap.

Bobby and Matthew were reaching for the tongs to pile French fries onto their plates. Helen smacked lightly at their hands and said, "Not until we thank the Lord." She missed them rolling their eyes at her.

We all connected our hands together and shut our eyes. "Whose turn is it tonight?" my dad rumbled.

"I believe it's Annabeth's turn," Helen said.

I took a deep breath. "Lord, God, we thank you for what you have given us today. We are eternally thankful for your mercy and your presence today, oh, God. Amen."

"Amen," they repeated. I served myself some salad and spooned some Italian dressing on it. I grabbed a piece of fried chicken and set it on my plate.

"Can I have the fries, please?" I asked.

"I don't know," my dad answered, "can you?"

"May I?" I corrected and mentally rolled my eyes. My dad nodded in approval and handed me the bowl. I squirted some ketchup next to the fries and began to eat.

"How was your day at work?" Helen asked my dad.

He shrugged. "Same as always; very long, very annoying. Did you know that Miss Jones got married? Well, I heard about six times today."

Helen laughed. "Well, it couldn't have been that bad. How about you, Annabeth? How was your last day as a tenth grader?"

I blinked in surprise; they rarely ever talked to me at dinner. In fact, they rarely ever talked to me at all. "Um, it was okay, I guess. We went to Joe's after and Thalia and Percy bickered about bubblegum ice cream, until I had to stop them, mostly because they were making death threats. Same old, same old."

"Is Percy your boyfriend?" Bobby asked suddenly through a mouthful of chicken.

I blushed and stuttered, "I, uh, no, we, uh!"

"Bobby," Helen scolded, "don't talk with your mouth full."

He swallowed. "Sorry, mom."

"That sounded like a yes," Matthew said suspiciously. "Are you dating in secret?"

"Um, no," I said and looked down at my plate. "We aren't like that."

"Well," Bobby interjected, "why do you have a picture of you kissing him on the cheek in your room, then?"

"Because it's what guys and girls do when they're like Percy and I, okay? And, why the heck were you in my room?" I asked and narrowed my eyes at them.

"We were just looking for something!" Matthew defended.

"What were you looking for!" I exclaimed.

Bobby gulped in fear. "A sling shot."

I paled. "And what did you use?" I growled.

"Just one of those cups things… What do you use those for anyway?" he asked innocently.

"You used one of my bras!" I screamed and ran from the table without being excused. I ran to their room and, sure enough, my favourite plum coloured bra was tied around their bedposts, set up so they could use it as a slingshot.

"BOBBY AND MATTHEW CHASE!" I yelled. "DO _NOT _GO INTO MY ROOM!"

I growled again and slammed my bedroom door, seething.

"Annabeth!" Helen shrieked. "Do not slam your doors, or I'll have to take it off its hinges!"

"Oh, whatever," I muttered under my breath and emailed Thalia right away.

To: _Thalia Grace_

Subject: _Little Devils_

_You will not believe what those little brats did! They stole one of my bras and used it as a freaking slingshot! Who raised those devils? Oh, wait; it was my father and my stepmother._

_God, sometimes I feel like Cinderella. Stuck in the house with an evil family._

Her reply was instantaneous:

From: _Thalia Grace_

Subject: _Re: Little Devils_

_Lol, I'm actually laughing so hard right now. They seriously stole your bra? Wow… I would have killed them. Still fuming at them? Do I have to come over and threaten them?_

I sighed and shook my hair from its hair tie. It fell down my shoulders in ringlets. I quickly changed from my shorts and blouse to some pajama pants and a tank top.

To: _Thalia Grace_

Subject: _Re: Little Devils_

_No, you can save your death threats for Percy… Feeling better now. I gotta go, though, or Helen will have a fit. See you tomorrow, hot stuff._

My computer beeped one last time.

From: _Thalia Grace_

Subject: _Re: Little Devils_

_Okay. See you then, you sexy beast._

I felt a smile form on my lips and I shut my laptop down. I heard a knock on my door and said, "Come in!"

Bobby and Matthew were both clad in their superhero pajamas, looking down at the floor in shame. My dad was standing beside them, looking distinctly distressed.

"The boys have something they would like to say to you," my dad said.

"We're sorry, Anna Banana," the twins said.

I immediately snapped, "Don't call me that." They pouted and tears filled their big, brown eyes. I tried to redeem myself. "I accept your apology. I'm sorry, too, for snapping at you. Just don't do it again, okay?" They nodded and walked to their room across the hall.

My dad, however, didn't leave. He stayed at the doorway. "Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, sure," I said. He walked in and sat down on my bed. I sat down a few feet beside him.

"What the boys were saying at dinner… Is it true that you have a picture of you kissing Percy on the cheek?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, why?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You aren't dating him, are you?" he asked warily.

I shook my head. "No, dad, we aren't. We're just… We're complicated, okay? But we aren't dating. We just care about each other," I said.

"Okay," he said. "I understand… Can I see this picture of you and him?"

I bit my lip. "Um, sure, I guess. It's up on the wall somewhere." I pointed toward the wall behind my desk.

My dad got up and looked at all the pictures. He smiled softly at some, others he looked sad about, and at random points he would chuckle softly. "I remember taking this one," he said and motioned to the picture of Percy and I, his thumb in a splint, the two of us giving the camera a thumb's up comically, grinning like idiots. Percy's arm was around my shoulder and I had mine around his skinny twelve-year-old middle.

That was taken after Percy had broken his thumb with the hammer, trying to build us a tree house. I had refused point-blank to leave him alone. Well, not _alone_, but I refused to leave his side.

I smiled softly. "That was one heck of a day," I said quietly.

My dad kissed the top of my head affectionately and I stiffened slightly. I didn't really like it when my dad or Helen gave me hugs, or kissed me… It felt too weird, too awkward.

"Good night, sweetheart. I won't be here tomorrow morning when you wake up, so have a fun time at camp," he said and gave me a squeeze.

"Okay, good night dad," I said.

I crawled under the covers and couldn't help but contemplate: Did I care about Percy like a brother, the way I always thought I had, or did I care about him something more?

* * *

_**Done! How about feeding that sexy little review box?**_

_**And thank you guys SO MUCH for the awesome response for the first chapter. You guys are so awesome!**_

_**-Lou**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**New chapter! I think I deserve a round of applause for this, because I am currently on vacation in B.C. (British Columbia, two provinces over, 21 hours away) and I can see the Rockies outside my window… Ermigerd, it's beautiful. Anywho, enjoy.**_

_**WARNING**__**: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned…**_

_**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_(Annabeth's POV)_

_by emblah01_

* * *

_Chapter 3_

"Thalia Marie Grace!" I yelled and banged on the wooden door to Thalia's room. Well, 'room' wasn't exactly the right word.

Thalia's mom was very rich. I wasn't so sure how she still had the money for this, but, somehow, she hadn't spent it all on alcohol and drugs.

She lived in a huge house, not short of a mansion. It had a big, open ceiling and heavy oak doors and antique furniture. Thalia's 'room' was on the top floor, the fifth one. Her room was actually half of the top floor. She had painted the walls white and, whilst we were bored one day, splattered red, black and dark blue paint all around the walls. She had a king size bed with black silk sheets and a walk-in closet. Not to mention the brand new Mac Book laptop her mahogany desk sported.

In short, I was jealous. The most I had was my dad's old Dell laptop.

"Just a minute!" Thalia's frantic voice said from inside. I heard something fall and Thalia curse loudly.

"Thalia, if you don't let me in, I'll break down this bloody door!" I shrieked. "You have three seconds!" More crashing. "One." Oh man, she was going to die. "Two." I heard a loud bang and Thalia cursed again. "Thr-"

The door opened. Thalia opened the door, looked distinctly ruffled. Her hair was mused and her eyeliner was smudged on one side. Her shirt was hanging off of one shoulder and her black jean skirt was hiked up her thighs.

"Okay, okay," she said and I let myself in. "Yeah, sure come into my room. I don't mind." She fixed her hair and her clothes. She applied a little more lip-gloss and smacked her lips together, rubbing it around.

"I know you don't," I said and grabbed her suitcase in one hand. "Come on, we don't have time to dawdle. Helen's waiting."

"Yes, MOM," she said grumpily and slung her backpack over her shoulder. I decided to ignore the mom comment.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to your mom?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to set her off. Thalia had a very short temper, and it wasn't pretty when she was mad.

Thalia sighed. "I don't really want to go into her room right now."

"Oh," I said, comprehension dawning on me.

"Yeah, she came home with some guy last night. I, personally, don't want to see any of that. I've in on that shit before and it was mentally scarring," Thalia said and opened the fridge. "God damn it," she cursed, "we have no food in this house."

"We can stop on the way out of town," I said. "I'll explain to Helen."

She closed the fridge door and looked down at her boots. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem," I said and gave her a sad smile. She didn't return it.

We walked out the front doors. Our car was idling on the driveway in front of the house.

I opened the door and Thalia sat down in the middle seat. I sat down beside her and promptly rolled down the window, trying to cool down the baking inside of the car. "Helen?" I asked warily.

"Yes, Annabeth?" she replied and shifted the rearview mirror so I could see her dark brown eyes reflecting in it.

"Could we stop somewhere for breakfast? Thalia hasn't eaten," I said.

She sighed in exasperation. "She couldn't have grabbed a banana or something?"

"No," I said, trying not to snap. This woman knew nothing of what Thalia went through at home. "Her mom hasn't gone grocery shopping yet." Helen pursed her lips in indecision. "I'll pay," I said finally, knowing this would help our case.

"Okay," she said. By this time we were on the road to Percy's house. We stopped in front of an apartment complex.

"You coming?" I asked Thalia.

"Sure," she said and we walked inside. The lobby was small, but elaborate. A small, red couch was placed by a faux-wood coffee table. An electric fireplace was built into the wall and crackling sound effects filled the room, along with the sound of smooth jazz music coming from the speakers.

A young man with blonde hair swept to the side like he'd been taking a walk outside on a windy day and hazel eyes was standing behind a desk, writing something on a piece of paper quickly. He looked up briefly and smiled a fake smile. "How can I help you?" he asked cheerily.

"I'm here to see the Blofis's," I said. "You know me, anyway, Norman. I'm Annabeth."

"Right, Miss Chase," he said, checking something off on a piece of paper. "Well, go right on up. Apartment 5F. Have a nice day."

"Dido, Norm," Thalia said with a smirk and we loaded ourselves into the elevator. I pressed the circular 'five' button and the elevator shuttered and started to move upwards.

I had always hated elevators. I was ADHD, so being stuck inside in a box for five minutes with only the sound of bad music and the machine stuttering wasn't my definition of fun. I started tapping my fingers on my thighs, drumming a non-existent rhythm.

Thalia let out a puff of air. She ran a hand through her thin, choppy hair, shaking it out.

"So," I said awkwardly.

"So," she replied, equally as awkward. It was silent once again aside from the sound of Ella Fitzgerald singing from the speakers.

I wrung my hands together and the elevator doors dinged and opened.

"Well, it's our floor," I said and Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Après vous."

She walked out of the door. The dimly light hallway was narrow and claustrophobic. I searched the doors for apartment 5F. Once Thalia had spotted it (She cheated, I swear she did.), I knocked on the door.

Mrs. Jackson opened the door and smiled at us. "Come in, you two. Percy's just finishing his breakfast."

"Thanks," I said and slipped off my flip-flops. I walked into the kitchen and sat down beside Percy on the table, who was stuffing his face with blue waffles.

"Hey," he said through a mouthful of waffle.

I snatched a piece of bacon off of his plate and took a bite. "Hey," I replied.

"Percy, don't talk with your mouth full. Especially in front of a lady," Mrs. Jackson scolded.

He swallowed. "Sorry, mom," he said. "But, in my defense, Annabeth's hardly a lady."

I punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up."

"Oh, hey Thalia," he said and gave his cousin a one-fingered salute when his mom wasn't looking.

She gave him a face and repeated the gesture. I rolled my eyes at the two.

"Have you packed yet?" I asked.

"No," Percy drawled sarcastically, "I thought I'd leave that for when you guys arrived. I thought that might be a good idea."

I rolled my eyes again. "Whatever, Jackson. Just trying to make conversation."

"Whatever, Chase," he mimicked in a falsetto.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "My voice does not sound like that!" I exclaimed.

"My voice does not sound like that!" he mimicked in the same tone.

I scowled at him.

He did the same, mockingly.

"You're incorrigible," I said and grabbed another piece of bacon.

Behind us, Mrs. Jackson was laughing behind the palm of her hand. I turned around and she gave me a sly wink. I don't know why, but I found myself blushing red.

"Why are you blushing?" Thalia asked. Sometimes, I wondered if Thalia had a mental filter and if she thought before she spoke. I tried not to be irritated, I really did, but, sometimes, she just pushed some buttons.

"It's obviously because she's in the presence of a Greek god, such as myself," Percy said jokingly.

"Pfft," I scoffed once again. "You know there's only one God."

"That doesn't exist," Percy added and took a large swig of his orange juice, washing down the disgusting amount of waffle he had shoved into his mouth. I idly wondered if he had a hollow leg, where he stored all this food.

"Rude much?" I asked him and frowned.

"I'm just saying," he said through another mouthful of waffle (Mrs. Jackson shot him a stern look and he swallowed once more.), "that it is scientifically proven that God just doesn't exist."

"But what if God set it up so that science is the way it is?" Thalia shot back, glaring at him something fierce.

Percy rolled his eyes. "But what about a forty day flood?"

"Science actually has evidence that that is what caused the dinosaurs to be wiped out, not the meteors. They found fossilized sea creatures in mountain rock. How do you suppose that got there? Perhaps a forty day flood," I said and smirked at him.

"Doesn't mean that 'God' was behind it," Percy said, closing the conversation.

Still, Thalia refused that he have the last word. "You'll see at camp this week, Perce. You'll see."

"Speaking of camp," Mrs. Jackson interrupted, before it could get violent, "you three need to get going. Go get your shoes on, I'll grab Percy's bag."

I nodded and Percy set his dishes in the sink. I slipped on my sneakers and Percy started lacing up his Converse.

Mrs. Jackson came back a few minutes later, suitcase in hand. "Perseus Jackson, you are cleaning that disaster zone you call a room when you get back. Now, listen to me, you'll wear sunscreen and a hat and bug-spray, and I packed a light sleeping bag and a thicker one, if you get cold. If you need anything, call me and I will bring it up."

Percy enveloped his mother in a hug. "I love you, mom," he said into her shoulder.

She touched his cheek. "I love you, too, sweetheart. Now, get going. I'll tell Paul you said goodbye."

Percy nodded and gave his mom one last smile.

Once we were in the hallway, Thalia smirked at Percy devilishly. "God, you're such a mama's boy," she snickered.

"Mmhmm," Percy said. "And I'm loving every minute of it."

Thalia rolled her electric eyes. "I call pressing the button!" Thalia said.

"Oh come on!" Percy groaned. "You have an elevator in your house. You can ride one anytime!"

"Actually, _no_, we do not have an elevator in our house," Thalia said. "And I called it, so too bad. Suck it up."

"No fair," Percy grumbled and the elevator dinged open.

We walked inside and, being my clumsy self, I tripped over the thresh hold into the elevator.

I banged my head against the wall and slid onto my knees. I clutched my forehead with my hands. Sharp shooting pain made my eyes water and my vision swam in front of me.

"Holy shit, are you okay, Anna Banana?" Percy asked and helped me up.

"Yeah," I grunted, "I'm fine."

I tried to stand but wobbled slightly. "You don't look fine," Thalia said.

"I said, I'm fine," I protested and, once again tried to take a step out of the elevator, which had opened. I started to fall but Percy caught me with his arm.

"Just let me help you," he murmured in my ear and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I wrapped my free (the other was massaging my temples) around his firm middle.

Percy used to be a skinny twelve-year-old boy, but once he turned fourteen, he shot upwards. By the time he was fifteen, he had grown to be six foot one, while I remained my pitiful five foot nine. It also didn't help that his stepdad was really into basketball and got Percy to play as well. Now, instead of skinny, tick arms he used to have, he was built and strong. This did not help my 'I do not like Percy that way' debate I was having against myself.

Thalia held the door open for us and we walked to the car. Somehow, Percy managed to carry the majority of my hundred-and-forty pounds and his suitcase _and_ his backpack all the across the parking lot, where Helen was idling in the Toyota.

Helen raised an eyebrow at the way Percy and I were connected. I felt heat rush to my cheeks and shrugged my shoulders in her direction. She shook her head, smiling and muttered something to herself that I couldn't hear.

Thalia opened the door and Percy helped me into my seat, pausing. He stared into my eyes, his green eyes boring into my grey ones. I couldn't help but feel a little freaked out.

"Percy," I said, "I am fine. You don't need to…hover so much. God, I feel bad for your future girlfriend."

"Thou shall not use the Lord's name in vain," Helen reminded gently and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Sorry, Helen," I said quickly.

"I don't," Percy said and crawled into the car beside Thalia. "I mean, who could resist this?"

"I sure can," I put and smirked at his pout. Helen started to drive down the busy, New York streets.

A couple of cabbies swore loudly through their windows, shaking their fists angrily. Helen muttered something under her breath I couldn't hear, and when she thought I wasn't looking, she flipped them off quickly.

I raised my eyebrows at the ordeal, but brushed it off as nothing.

We stopped in a McDonald's Drive Thru, and I bought Thalia a breakfast sandwich. She took the sandwich in her hand and looked down at it, her pale cheeks turning red.

"Thanks," she muttered, emabarassed.

I elbowed her in the side and shot her a reassuring smile. "No problemo, chica."

She smiled at me and Percy struck up a conversation with her.

Thalia and Percy were chatting away, most likely bickering about something unnecessary. I stared out the window, watching the crumbling buildings and old houses turn into grassy fields with cattle grazing lazily. A large, wooden sign painted yellow and blue read, "YOU ARE NOW LEAVING NEW YORK."

"What about you, Annabeth?" Thalia asked and prodded my shoulder.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly and peeled my fist from underneath my chin. Percy raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. "Sorry," I said, "I zoned out."

"We were just debating which superhero has the best powers," Percy said.

"I say Spiderman," Thalia said.

I shuddered. "Ew, no. Spiders."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "You have admit that his powers are awesome."

"Okay, maybe a little, but I think that Iron Man wins this," I said.

Percy scoffed. "Bullsh…crap." He quickly switched approaches once he remembered that Helen was in the car with us. "It's obvious that Thor wins this."

We all started talking at the same time, getting louder and louder as we went. Suddenly, Helen slammed on the brakes and we flew forward against our seatbelts.

"We're here," she said, sounding mildly relieved.

"Oh, really?" I asked and I saw her nod in the mirror. "Wow, that didn't take too long." I turned to Percy. "You ready for your first week of camp ever, Percy?" I asked in a baby voice.

"Oh, yes! I'm so excited!" he said, mimicking the tone.

"Then, let's go!" Thalia exclaimed, faking excitement. We sat there in silence. "Um," Thalia hesitated, "you guys need to open the doors…"

"Oh, right!"

_**I hoped you liked it. How about leaving me a little review?**_

_**-Lou**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Another chapter from me! Woo! I'd like to thank everyone that's reviewed, fav'ed and followed so far. You guys are awesome.**_

_**WARNING: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_(Annabeth's POV)_

_by emblah01_

* * *

_Chapter 4_

The funny thing about moms, and stepmoms alike, is that, at home, they really don't talk to you all that much, but when you go away for a mere span of a week, they become the most_ clingy_ people on the planet.

This was what I noticed with Helen.

The first year I went to camp, I was twelve years old. When we got to the registration, where you signed in and you were assigned dorms, Helen held my hand tightly in her own cold, bony one. Then, after we had signed in and got me settled, she hugged me goodbye. And I'm not talking about a little, awkward hug; I'm talking about a mama bear hug. You know, the ones where she pulls you against her chest and her boobs squish right in your face? Yeah, that kind. And _then,_ she told me to be safe and to wear a hat.

I honestly wondered what had happened to the Helen I used to know from home.

We were standing in line at the registration, and Helen was fussing over Percy, Thalia and I. She straightened Percy's black shirt and combed her fingers through his messy hair, trying to brush it out. She straightened Thalia's shirt for her and told her to be safe.

Then, she came up to me and said in a hushed voice, "Um, I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you, Annabeth. I know that we don't have the best of relationships, but I do think of you as my own daughter and I care about you. A lot. Just… Please be safe this week, and wear a hat and sunscreen and bug spray and don't forget to eat your vegetable."

She pulled me against her and gave me another mama bear hug. Only, it didn't work very well, because I was about five inches taller than her.

She pulled away and smiled at me.

"Next!" called the person doing the registration.

"Ah, yes, Annabeth Chase! How are you, child?"

"Mr. Brunner!" I exclaimed and bet down to give him a hug.

Mr. Brunner was a middle-aged man with a scruffy salt-and-pepper beard and a love for tweed jackets. He had a heavy British accent and intelligent brown eyes. He was in a wheel chair, so most people thought that it didn't make any sense that he was our activities director.

I buried my face in his shoulder and inhaled. He smelled the same as he did when I was ten; like dark roast coffee, pine, and old paper.

Mr. Brunner worked at our local church as a librarian. He had a love of literature and got the majority of his games he made up for us from reading. I met him when I was ten, when I first started going to church. I had hated Sunday school at first, so I always ran away and spent the service curled up in a corner of the library reading. Mr. Brunner was the person who gave me books about God and how he worked in our lives. Eventually, he persuaded me to give Sunday school another chance. I did, and, before I knew it, I was accepting God into my heart for the first time.

"I've been great," I said as I pulled away. "How have you been?"

"Same as always," he said and smiled. His brown eyes crinkled. "Thalia," he greeted when he noticed my friend standing awkwardly beside me.

She gave him a little wave. "Hello," she said. Mr. Brunner was one of the few adults Thalia genuinely respected.

"And who is your other friend, Annabeth? I don't believe we've been acquainted before." He gestured to Percy.

"This is my best friend, Percy Jackson. Percy, this is Mr. Brunner, the activities director," I said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jackson," he said and shot him another warm smile. He looked down at his papers and riffle through them. He ended with three sheets and handed one to each of us. "These have your dorm and your room on there. You'll be assigned teams tonight at the chapel. Also, since we have so many campers this year, boys and girls will be sharing dorms. _A boy and a girl are not allowed to be in the same room alone._ Period. Anyone caught breaking this rule will be in the dish pit for the rest of the week. Alone. Understood?"

We nodded.

"Good. Now, run along. Piper arrived not too long ago."

"Goodbye, Mr. Brunner," Helen said. "You three are fine finding your dorms on your own, right?"

"Yes, Helen," I said, mentally rolling my eyes.

"Good. I'll be back to pick you three up in a week!"

We started down the worn path to the dorms.

The dorms were long, short buildings, all painted white except for the roof, which was a different colour for each. They were old and filled with bugs. There was only one window for each room and they got stuffy incredibly fast.

I looked down at my paper. It read:

Name: _Annabeth Chase_

Dorm: _3_

Room: _6_

Bunkmates: _Thalia Grace, Piper McLean and Hazel Levesque._

"Looks like we're bunkmates this year, Thals," I said and slipped the paper into my back pocket.

"I call a top bunk!" she yelled.

"I call the other top bunk!" Percy yelled comically.

I shoved him with my hip. "Percy, you know you are simply too sexy for us to let you into our room."

"I know," he said. "It's a tragedy."

I laughed. "What dorm are you in?"

"Three," he answered after deciphering his paper. Another thing about Percy Jackson: He had horrible dyslexia and ADHD. He tended to switch from subject to subject a lot, and had trouble sitting down for a long time, which was one of the main reasons he wasn't doing very well in school.

"Cool, us too," Thalia said. "Oh look, we're here."

And we were indeed. I hauled my bag up the rickety wooden steps and pushed open the door. The stench of mildew and crappy perfume hit my nostrils and I wrinkled my nose.

"Let's go find our room and claim our bunks," Thalia suggested and I nodded.

I touched Percy's arm. "Are you gonna be okay?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Can I come over to your room when I've claimed my stuff?"

I smiled. "Yeah, of course."

"See you later, Anna Banana," he said with a smirk. I gave him a quick one-armed hug and opened the door to my room.

Thalia and my friend, Piper, were laughing on the bottom bunk, which had already been covered with a bottom sheet and a sleeping bag.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed and gave me a hug.

Piper had long, straight dark brown hair and eyes that changed in the light. One moment, they would be brown, the next green, and then blue. She was part Cherokee, so her skin was naturally tanned and always wore some sort of feather or braid in her hair. Today it was both.

She had three little braids in her hair and three brown, red, and white feathers hung by her face. Her slight frame was dressed in an old beige shirt and short, cut-off jean shorts. Her feet donned old, pink flip-flops and her stud in her nose sparkled in the sunlight.

She was really pretty. I mean, _really _pretty.

"This is new," I remarked and pointed to the stud in her nose.

She grinned. "Yeah, I know. Dad finally gave in and let me get my nose pierced. You like?"

I nodded and threw my bag on the top bunk, beside Thalia's. I crawled on the top bunk and started making it.

"Guess who's here this year?" Thalia asked Piper.

"Who?" she asked and took a sip of her pop she had probably brought from town.

"Percy Jackson," Thalia said with a grin.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "You guys convinced him to come?"

"Uh-huh," I said and propped my pillow against the wall.

"Sweet, I finally get to meet the famous Percy Jackson," Piper said.

I heard a knock at the door. "What's this about the famous Percy Jackson?"

"Nothing. We're just trying to figure out the best way to murder you," Thalia said idly. I smelled the scent of nail polish and knew that Thalia was probably re-painting her toes.

I turned and grinned. "Hey," I said.

"Hey." Percy climbed onto my bunk and lay down on it, his legs stretched over my lap.

"Sure, just come in, don't even bother with introductions at all," I said sarcastically.

"Yup, I think that's what I'll do."

I sighed. "Percy, this is Piper. Piper, this is my _annoying_ friend Percy."

"Aw, baby, I thought we were more than friends." Percy faked a pout.

I slapped his shin. "In your perverted, teenage dreams," I retorted. "And don't call me baby."

"How does Anna Banana sound?" he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "_Anything_ but baby."

"How about babe?" _SLAP! "Ow!_ Okay, I get it!"

Thalia and Piper burst out laughing. I giggled and leaned my head against the wall. "God, you're such a tool," I said through my laughs.

"I am _not,"_ Percy exclaimed in indignation.

I heard another knock on the door and called, "Come in!"

"Hi!" Hazel walked into the room, her small suitcase rolling behind her. Her golden eyes gleamed and her frizzy, black hair was pulled back with clips. Her coffee-coloured skin shone with a thin film of sweat and I saw something gold catch the light by her eyes. I noticed that she was wearing golden eyeliner, something I had never seen before.

"Hey, Hazel!" I said. Hazel was three years younger than the rest of us. It was her first year coming to Youth Camp. Every year before, she was at Junior Youth, for the pre-teens. She was rather excited to be a part of the 'big kids'.

Hazel went to my church with me and her mom and Helen were friends. She was seven and I was ten when we met.

"Oh my goodness! The traffic was _insane_! Mom could hardly get out of the city it was so bad. And then, you add the drive to camp and- Wait. Who the heck are you?!"

She looked at Percy incredulously.

"Um, I'm Percy," he said. "I'm Annabeth's-"

"Boyfriend?" she asked hopefully.

"Um, no," I intervened. "Percy is just a friend, Hazel." I turned to Percy. "Hazel thinks that it's insane that I don't have a boyfriend yet."

"Aw, come on, babe," Percy said. "I thought you loved me." He made kissy lips in my direction. This time, I aimed a little higher when I was smacking him. "Oh, for the _love_ of all that is _good_ and _holy_!" he yelled and clutched his stomach (Yes, his stomach. What do you think I hit?).

"Don't call me babe," I said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, yes, okay, I won't! For fu…frick's sake, Anna Banana," he hissed.

"Like I said, don't call me babe," I said with a shrug.

"God, what is it with that name and you?" he asked.

I turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "I find it offensive. I mean, 'babe' just sounds like you're referring to me as an object, a prize. I'm a human being. It's the same with beautiful, sexy, hot stuff, etcetera; I would much rather be called love or some other nickname my boyfriend comes up with. I just find it more affectionate and less possessive. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being protective, but there's a line between protective and possessive."

Percy looked deep in thought, but nodded in agreement anyway. "Fair enough."

"Do you guys want to go down to the lake?" Thalia asked.

"Sure," I said. "Percy, you gotta get off of me, then." He groaned and lifted his legs off of my lap. I jumped off of the top bunk and landed in front of Thalia. I slipped on my shoes and Percy threw his arms around Thalia's and my shoulders.

"What does this remind you of?" he asked us.

"Hm… Let me think," Thalia said sarcastically. I laughed and we kicked open the door at the same time. I just hoped that we hadn't created yet another dent in that poor door.

Once we were down the large, steep hill that proceeded after the dorms, I exclaimed, "Race you to the dock!"

"You're on!" Percy yelled and we ran down the beach, sand flying up behind us and clinging to the backs of our legs.

The wind whipped my hair around and I started to laugh.

The lake was like glass. You could see the reflection of the pines and the sun in the water. The water trampoline bobbed around in the water soothingly.

I ran down to the edge of the wooden dock, Percy following close behind me. He ran up behind me and picked me up, twirling me around in the air.

"Ah!" I screeched and clung to his neck. He was laughing. "Percy put me down!"

"I don't know, I think it's time for a swim!" he teased.

"No! No, no, no! Please!" I yelled through my laughter.

He set me on the dock. "Fine, you win. But I am _so_ throwing you into that lake sometime this week. Just you wait."

"I have no doubt," I said and sat down on the edge, my toes skimming the cold water.

Percy sat down beside me, his hands clasped in his lap. We were silent for a moment. The birds chirped merrily in the forest behind us. I could hear the toads and the frogs croak every so often. I leaned my head on Percy's shoulder and sighed softly.

The scent of the lake hit my nose and I breathed in deeply. Pine, dirt, the water and a little gasoline from the boats…

It was peaceful.

But, of course, that peace couldn't last forever.

"Annabeth!" an annoying voice said from behind me.

I groaned. "Great," I muttered and turned around.

A thin, Asian girl with big sunglasses covering her brown eyes was walking up the dock, careful to avoid the seagull poop.

"Drew," I said coldly.

She grinned at me evilly. "Darling, it has been too long," she said.

_Not long enough in my opinion,_ I thought savagely.

Drew was the popular girl at camp. She was stick thin, mainly by popping diet pills and not eating anything other than salad, and wore expensive designer clothes. She was spoiled rotten and had it out for me for some reason. We went to the same middle school and she had bullied me relentlessly, calling me fat, ugly, a whore, and every other name in the book.

She was dating the camp's 'hottest guy', Matt Sloan. They were the camp's 'it' couple and annoying as heck.

The sad thing was that Drew was actually really pretty, but she threw it all away by piling product after product onto her face. She mutilated her body by popping pills and I was pretty sure she was smoking something. Why else would she wear the Gucci glasses, other than to cover her reddened eyes?

She glanced over my shoulder and noticed Percy for the first time. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"Percy Jackson," Percy said and shook her perfectly manicured hand.

"Pleasure," she said. "First year?" She pushed her lips out more ever-so slightly, creating a 'duck face'. I honestly didn't know why girls thought that _that_ was attractive. To me, a smile was the most beautiful thing on a girl.

"Um, yeah."

"Clearly," she said and peered over the top of her glasses. Her eyes were bloodshot. "I would have noticed you before."

I felt a surge of hot rage course through me. Luckily, Thalia, who had come running up just in time to hear this part of the conversation, hip checked her and she went flying into the water.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I had a twitch. You know, in my hip. This often happens to when I'm standing next to a bitch near a body of water. My fault, so sorry!" Thalia exclaimed and fluttered her mascara-coated eyelashes at her.

"It is at these times," Percy said and slung an arm around Thalia, "that I am proud to say that I'm related to you, oh cousin."

"Well," Thalia said, and gingerly peeled his arm from around her, "I can't say it's the same for me, oh annoying one."

Percy pouted and I laughed. "Um, hello! A little help!" Drew screamed. She was dripping wet, standing on the bottom of the lake. Her mascara was running and her clothes were clinging to her bony figure.

"Sorry, my arms have suddenly become numb. I guess you're on your own," Thalia drawled and I heard the dinner bell ring.

"Come on, let's go before the pavilion gets packed." I took Percy's hand in mine and hauled him off of the dock.

We started walking down the path. Thalia looked at me with her eyebrows raised.

'What?' I mouthed.

'Hands?' she asked in confusion.

I looked down at my hand, and I realized that it was laced with Percy's still. I quickly dropped his hand like it had shocked me and shoved it into my shorts' pocket. I cleared my throat and glanced at Percy, who was red in the face.

I noticed something poking out of his pants' pocket. "What's that?" I asked and reached for it.

He pulled away. "Nothing!"

"Are those…?" My eyes widened and I snatched it from his pocket. I looked at the cigarettes in horror. "Percy! You can't have these here!"

"Give them back, Annabeth," he said calmly, opening his hand.

"Percy," I pleaded with my eyes, "I thought you said you would stop."

He ran a hand through his messy hair. "I can't Annabeth, okay? Look, can we talk about this later?"

I sighed. "Fine, but we _are_ talking about this."

Everyone was sitting at the many tables in the pavilion, chatting away with their friends.

We took a seat at the table Piper and Hazel were sitting at. She was currently laughing at a joke told by Jason, Thalia's brother.

Jason waved at Thalia when he saw her and she smiled at him.

She was about to say something, but was interrupted by Mr. Brunner.

"Campers!" he yelled over the noise. "Welcome back to another year of fun and spiritual growth! And to those who are new, welcome! I promise you, you will have wonderful experiences here, whether you believe in God or not. Now, I would like to introduce our camp director, Mr. D!"

The pavilion filled with fake, slow applause. A fat man in a leopard print button up shirt and navy blue cargo shorts stood up and waved away the applause with a thick, fat hand.

"Yes, yes, you can all shut up. I suppose I've got to say it: Welcome to camp and blah, blah, blah. Now, don't expect me to like you or anything, because I won't," he said and sat back down in his lawn chair. He took a swig of his Diet Coke and rested his feet on the edge of Mr. Brunner's wheelchair.

Mr. Brunner smiled warmly. "Well, there's nothing left to say that can't be said at the chapel meeting tonight, which, by the way, is mandatory, so tuck in!"

* * *

_**Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review, as I need them to live.**_

_**-Lou**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Woo! Another one! I am ever sorry for not updating, but I have started the hell that is high school and in three days of school, I have had five assignments. Forgive me.**_

_**And to a reviewer I will not name, 140 pounds is a healthy weight for someone who is five foot nine. I don't know which doctor you go to, but mine says that 140 pounds is quite healthy. I always imagined Annabeth to have a very solid build. She was never conventionally beautiful, but Percy found her so anyway. The reason for this would be the years of hard-core training she had to do. She built up muscle.**_

_**And, no, to the other reviewer, I will not be doing the questions for this story. If you would like answers to questions, feel free to PM me, though!**_

_**WARNING: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned…**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_(Annabeth's POV)_

_by emblah01_

* * *

_Chapter 5_

"So, Annabeth, who's your friend?" Leo took a bite of his spaghetti and nodded towards Percy.

"This is Percy Jackson," I said and ruffled Percy's already-messy hair.

Percy blushed and gave them a small wave.

"Hi, Percy!" Leo said brightly. "I'm Leo Valdez, but you can call me Mr. Awesome or Supreme Lord of the Universe." Leo wiggled his eyebrows and his brown eyes shone mischievously.

Leo looked a lot like a Latino Christmas Elf, but don't tell him I said that. He slicked his curly black hair back with hair gel and he was adamant on wearing only workshop overalls or cargo shorts. He had brown eyes that shone with mischief and life and he always had some sort of thing he was tinkering with in his hands. Either that, or he was drumming a non-existent rhythm on some sort of surface.

Frank stood up and reached over the table to shake Percy's hand. "I'm Frank," he said in a deep voice. Frank would have been very threatening, what with his bulging muscles from football and wrestling, if it weren't for the fact that his face hadn't quite lost all its baby fat. And that he wouldn't hurt a fly outside of his sports. He looked like a baby panda's head had been photo-shopped onto a NFL's body.

"You already know me. I think we met when were, like, five or something." Jason stuck out his fist and Percy bumped it with his own.

"Yeah, Jason, right? You were five and I was seven, I think," Percy said. "Good seeing you again."

"Same, man," Jason said through a mouthful of garlic toast. Jason was only fourteen years old, but was already six feet tall. His blonde hair was cropped short and he would have looked like a typical surfer, if it weren't for the sharp, electric blue eyes, an exact replica of Thalia's eyes.

Jason gestured to the girl beside him. She had olive skin and dark hair swept into a complicated braid down her back. Her dark eyes shone proudly. She held her chin high and it looked like she was analyzing us, to see which of us should be annihilated. "This is Reyna," he said. "She's a friend from California."

I waved at her and she nodded in my direction. "Hello," she said in a clear voice.

"And, I'm Silena," said a brunette. Silena was Piper's half-sister. She was older than all of us. She had long brown hair and fair skin. Her nose was dotted with light brown freckles and her eyes were a deep, almost navy blue.

Silena looked a lot like Piper. They had the same high cheekbones and full lips, but Piper looked Métis while Silena looked like a classic preppy white girl. She wore a lot of baby blue and orange and floral patterns.

"Pleasure," said Percy and Silena giggled, looking at the two of us.

I was about to say something but was interrupted by a loud shriek come from across the pavilion.

"STOLLS!" someone yelled.

Katie Gardner stood up, pasta sauce dripping from her light brown hair onto her pink T-shirt. "What the HELL!"

The Stoll brothers were the camp pranksters and their main target was Katie Gardner. The main reason for this was that Travis Stoll was completely and utterly in love with Katie. Connor just loved to bug people.

"Language, Miss Gardner," reminded Mr. D. idly. I rolled my eyes.

Travis and Connor were laughing their heads off at their table. Travis wiped tears away from his brown eyes. "Aw… Katie-Kat! You didn't like our spaghetti balloon?"

Katie took a deep breath, trying to decide how to approach the situation. She smiled sweetly. "No, Travis I loved it."

The two stopped laughing. "What?" Connor asked in disbelief.

"Oh, I loved it. I adored it, even. I mean, a pasta sauce hair wash? Wonderful! So wonderful, I just want to _tell everyone!"_

Travis visibly paled. He stuttered some nonsense before saying, "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, Katie-Kat!"

Katie fluttered her sauce-coated eyelashes. "Good. But I think I'll still tell everyone."

Travis lowered his voice and said something in Katie's ear. She rolled her eyes before nodding slowly.

Travis shot her a dimpled smile and she glowered at him. "I think you should go sit down Travis. As in, right now," Katie sneered. Her green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Fine," Travis said lightly, knowing he had won this round of their never-ending war. "See you later, Gardner."

"Hopefully not," Katie replied hotly and stalked out of the pavilion, most likely to change and have a shower. Connor gave Travis a look that said, _What the hell do you see in her, dude?_

"That's Travis and Connor Stoll, and Katie Gardner. We usually just call the brothers 'The Stoll Brothers', mostly because they don't do anything without the other," Leo said and then added as an after thought, "Expect go to the bathroom. Because that would be really weird if they… You know what? Never mind."

I laughed and leaned my forehead on Percy's shoulder. "The girl who got the sauce wash was Katie Gardner… You'll meet her probably sometime tonight. She works here helping the groundskeepers tend the gardens," I informed Percy once we had calmed down. "She's usually the key target of the Stolls, but we'll all probably be pranked at least once this week."

Percy nodded. "Awesome," he said and shoved a huge piece of lettuce in his mouth. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's gross," I commented.

"I'm a guy," he said. "We're meant to be gross."

"Sophistication is attractive," I said idly, twirling my pasta on my fork.

He stopped eating and raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "Really?" he asked. "You find this attractive?" He then screwed up his face and spoke in a phony English accent. "Oh, top of the morning, dar! Absolutely corking to see you! How about a nice cup of tea?!"

I started to laugh and covered his mouth with my hand. "Shhh, people are starring."

He rolled his green eyes. "Are you saying you're embarrassed to be seen with me, Anna Banana?"

I smiled at him. "Absolutely." I pecked him on the cheek and he turned red.

"Aw…!" Silena said softly. "So, how long have you two been together?"

Percy choked on his juice. I managed to miss my mouth and smeared spaghetti across my cheek. _Smooth_, I thought to myself.

"We're not together," I said and cleaned the sauce off of my cheek with a napkin. My face was red and I couldn't meet Percy's eyes.

"Yeah, we're just friends," Percy agreed. I tried not to be offended at how desperate he seemed to get the point across. Like he said, we were just friends.

I smiled a little. "Best friends," I said.

"Yep," Percy said and ruffled my hair fondly. I swatted his hand away and stuck my tongue out at him.

"So," Thalia said, "do you guys know who's leading the camp fire tonight?"

"I think Will Solace is. You know, the guy with the short blonde hair and really intense blue eyes?" Silena said. "Hey, Annabeth! You know that Malcolm's here, right?"

My face broke out into a wide grin. "Really? Since when was he coming this year?"

Malcolm was my older cousin by exactly three years on my dad's side. We grew up together. We were the two kids who shared birthday parties. We used to be really close, and we still were, but Malcolm moved out to Washington to go to college. I hadn't seen him in nearly a year.

"Yeah, he got here yesterday, apparently," Piper said. I straightened up and looked for my cousin in the crowded pavilion.

"Geez, calm down Anna Banana. You'll see him at the camp fire tonight," Percy said.

I scrutinized his face, taking in every detail. Percy blushed red and asked, "What?"

I bit my bottom lip. "I'm trying to think of a nickname that'll bother you… You know, because you've got Anna Banana and all, but after four years of friendship, I have nothing for you. It's rather disappointing, in myself mainly, you see…" I trailed off and squinted my eyes. I closed one experimentally and turned my head to the side. "I've got it!" I exclaimed and snapped my fingers. "Seaweed Brain!"

"What?" Percy guffawed.

"It's just, your eyes are green kind of like the ocean, and you're rather not-smart and when you turn your head to the side and close one eye, you're hair looks like _Whoosh!_ You know?" I asked.

"No," Thalia said, holding back laughter.

"My hair looks like _whoosh?"_ Percy asked incredulously.

I moved my hand like a wave. "You know, _whoosh,_ like a wave, because it's wavy. Hence, Seaweed Brain."

Thalia closed one eye and turned her head to the side. "I can kind of see it now," she said slowly. She straightened her head. "I'm going to call you Kelp Head from now on."

"_What?"_ Percy exclaimed.

"Well, Seaweed Brain is already taken!"

"Why am I friends with you?" Percy groaned and began banging his head against the wooden table.

I grabbed his shoulders to stop him. "Stop it, Seaweed Brain. You don't have any brain cells to spare."

He moaned. "This is really going to stick?"

Leo placed his head in his hands and fluttered his eyelashes. "Of _course_ it is, Seaweed Brain!"

Percy made a face at him. "Shut _up,_ Leo."

/

The mosquitoes swarmed around the street light above the fire pit. The old lake wind swirled around us, chilling me to the bone. I pulled my sweater around my body tighter, relinquishing in the temporary warmth.

I shifted in my seat on the logs. The bonfire light up the clearing, bathing it in orange and yellow light. Percy was sitting across from me, looking utterly bored.

I heard Mr. Brunner whistle and everyone stopped talking immediately. "Campers! Welcome back to another year at camp! Every night after the Night Games, we will gather here and worship God. Feel free to open your hearts and raise your hands in worship. But first, we'll start out with some fun camp fire songs!"

Everyone cheered and I stood up with the crowd. Will Solace pulled out his guitar and strummed a few experimental notes. He then started to sing in a soft voice.

"Oh, happy day, happy day! When you washed my sin away. Oh, happy day, happy day! I'll never be the same…" We all cheered and I started to laugh.

These were the songs of my youth. They were songs meant for kids, but when you listened to the lyrics, you couldn't help but feel that familiar shiver of God's presence.

We all started to dance along to the leaders who were leading around the bonfire. Through the flames, I saw Percy mouth to me, 'What kind of camp fire songs are these?'

'Our kind,' I mouthed back and he shrugged and went back to looking awkward.

After more than a few songs, Will stopped playing his guitar. My face was coated in a thin layer of sweat and smoke. Thalia was grinning beside me. Her jagged hair was plastered to her forehead and she had taken off her shirt, leaving her in a red tank top and her black jean skirt.

"We just invite you guys to raise your arms to in worship. We thank you today, God, for bringing us here. Thank you for every single one of these kids and bless them and watch over them, oh God. In your name we pray…" Will started to play a familiar tune on his acoustic. It was slow and peaceful.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose. The sweat stung my eyes. I crossed my arms over my stomach and hung my head.

"You are good, you are good, when there's nothing good in me. You are love, you are love, on display for all to see. You are light, you are light, when the darkness closes in. You hope, you are hope, you have covered all my si-in…" Will's voice was soothing. I slowly raised one arm.

Tingles filled my body and my arms were covered in goose bumps, even though I wasn't cold.

"Oh! I'm running to your arms, I'm running to your arms! The riches of your love will always be enough! Nothing compares to your embrace! Light of the world, forever reign!"

I started to sing along, singing with my heart and soul, pouring out my feelings into the words. I felt something warm embrace me. I suddenly felt the cold feeling of the grass on my knees. I was kneeling beside the fire, my arms raised above my head, praising God.

"You can leave any time now… Curfew is in exactly thirty minutes. When you leave, please leave quietly as there are people who are still worshipping God. Thank you," Mr. Brunner said quietly.

I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see the fire had died down a lot.

"What happened?" I asked Thalia quietly.

She smiled at me softly. Her usually sharp features looked a lot less terrifying and softer. She was pretty when she smiled. "You just fell to your knees during Forever Reign. And you didn't get up. Everyone just came up to you and prayed for you… It was pretty cool."

"How long was I out?"

"About five songs," she admitted.

"_Five songs?"_ I asked in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah," Thalia said.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Percy standing there, looking uncomfortable. "What's up?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" he asked and brushed a curl behind my ear. My heart fluttered in my chest like a bird in a cage.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Realization dawned on me. "You were freaked out by that weren't you? Like, at the camp fire, when God came over me."

"No!" he protested. "And that wasn't God. He doesn't exist. You probably passed out because of the heat or something."

"It's freezing outside, Seaweed Brain," I said dryly.

He protested, "Well, either way, it wasn't God."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Seaweed Brain." I tried not to be annoyed with Percy, I really did, but his whole 'God isn't real' thing was starting to push buttons. God had literally saved my life.

I wouldn't have met Thalia if I hadn't started going to church.

We were both ten years old. Our parents had sent us to the Troubled Youth of Christ support group. I had started 'acting out' to Helen and my dad. Thalia's mom just didn't really want to deal with her anymore.

Thalia had been sitting beside me. Even at ten, she had lined her electric eyes with black eyeliner. Her jeans were ripped carelessly and she had been playing a video game on her DS.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth Chase!" I had said to her.

She looked up from her game, pausing it and smirked. "I'm Thalia Grace."

"Hey! Our names rhyme!" I had exclaimed. "That's cool!"

She grinned. "It is… Do you want to go prank the leader?"

"Sure!"

And thus our friendship was born.

We had arrived at the dorms. Percy walked up the steps, a spring in his stride, and opened the door for Thalia and I.

I murmured a quick 'thank you' and walked into the room. Piper was already changed and sitting on her bed, reading a novel. I recognized it as _Paper Towns _by John Green and smiled to myself. Recently, Piper had become obsessed with John Green novels.

"Good book?" I asked and stripped of my shirt.

"Oh my gosh, John. Green," she said and marked the book with a piece of purple paper.

"I know, right?" I asked and slipped on my shorts. I grabbed my brush out of my duffle and started to untangle the knots. I tossed it into a quick ponytail, a few annoying strands falling around my face. I checked my reflection in my pocket mirror and groaned loudly.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, her voice muffled by her shirt.

"I've got a pimple," I pouted.

_TOUCH IT! _said the annoying, immature part of me.

_No! Don't do it!_ cried the other, rational part of me.

"Ah! Inner turmoil!" I exclaimed and slapped my forehead repeatedly.

Thalia and Piper stared at me incredulously. "I don't even know," Thalia muttered and crawled into her sleeping bag.

Piper yawned loudly. "Oh man, am I tired."

"Where's Hazel?" I asked all of a sudden. See? ADHD, I tell you.

"She's still at the fire, I think," Piper said through her pillow. "She was more into it than you were, Anna Banana."

"Don't call me that," I snapped.

"Why not?" she asked. "Percy does."

I felt myself go red and cooled my cheeks with my hands. "That's different."

"Of course it is," Thalia said wryly.

"Shut up, Grace."

"Shut up, Chase," she mimicked.

I rolled my eyes and stood up, brushing off my butt. "I'm going to go say goodnight to Percy."

"Oooh!" Thalia squealed mockingly.

I glared at her and opened the door. I knocked on his room and heard someone say, "Come in!"

I opened the door and saw Leo, Jason and Nico di Angelo, Hazel's half-brother, all lounging on their beds.

"Is Percy here?" I asked.

"Right behind you," said a deep voice.

I jumped and turned around to see Percy snickering. He had a toothbrush and a toothpaste in a plastic bag clutched in one hand. I slapped his chest. "Shut up, you."

"Why are you at my room?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Just wanted to say goodnight."

"Mmm…" he mumbled. I felt my heart in my chest and wondered why I was so nervous.

I wrapped my arms around him hesitantly. "Goodnight," I whispered against his chest. I loved how Percy's arms enveloped me against his chest. I loved how they rested lightly on the middle of my back. I pressed my cheek against his chest and was soothed by the sound of his heartbeat.

I wasn't sure how long we stood there, but were interrupted by someone coughing loudly.

"As sweet as this is," Nico said dryly, "I want to go to bed and I can't if I've got the vision of you two hugging in my head."

"Right," I said and pulled away from Percy. "Sorry, Nicky."

"Don't call me that," he grumbled and I laughed.

I kissed Percy on the cheek. "'Night, Seaweed Brain," I said.

"'Night, Anna Banana."

I smiled to myself. Percy closed the door and I heard him say, "Nico, I freaking hate you, right now."

I furrowed my brow and opened the door to my room.

I wonder what that was about.

* * *

_**Oh, young, naïve Annabeth! Just you wait!**_

_**B.T.W., the songs that were sung were 'Oh, Happy Day' a kids worship song and 'Forever Reign' by Hillsong. Please check them out, they are awesome. You'll appreciate their music even if you don't believe in God.**_

_**Anyway, please leave me a review. Favourite, follow and all that chizz.**_

_**Love you guys!**_

_**-Lou**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Well, here is another chapter… This is more of a filler than anything, really, so sorry, but fillers do need to exist in a story.**_

_**Thank you all for the lovely reviews, favourites and follows. I love you guys!**_

_**WARNING: I'm giving you a fair warning here. This is a Christian story. Do not be offended if there are sermons here, or people worshipping, as this story is dedicated to God. You have been warned…**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan does.**_

* * *

_Home In You_

_Annabeth's POV_

_by emblaho1_

* * *

_Chapter 6_

"Annabeth, wake up!" someone shouted in my ear.

I sat up and yelled, "Where's the cannon!" Thalia burst out laughing. I groaned and rubbed my temples. "Thalia, you're such a bitch."

"I know," she said. "Now, come on. Breakfast is in fifteen minutes."

"What time is it?" I asked and my feet touched the rough wooden floor. I stretched my arms over my head, my joints popping.

"Nearly eight o'clock," Piper said as she braided a second half of her long brown hair. She tied a red bandana around as a headband and readjusted her old tank top.

"Is Hazel up yet?" I asked and I pulled a blue shirt out of my bag that read: _Architects Anonymous._

"Not yet," Thalia said and tilted her head to the tiny figure curled up under multiple blankets. Thalia pulled a ripped midnight blue shirt over her head and tousled her shaggy hair.

I got up off of my knees and prodded Hazel in the side. "Hazel," I said in a singsong voice, "time to get up."

She groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.

I sighed. "Get up, Hazel, or we'll be late for breakfast." She repeated the same action as before. "Hazel, Tom Felton is outside in the hallway shirtless. You're going to miss it."

"WHERE?" she yelled and rolled out of the bed. We all started laughing and she got up, averting her eyes. "Shut up," she grumbled and started picking out clothes from her suitcase.

I heard the bell sound and cursed under my breath. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" I muttered and threw my hair into a ponytail. Everyone was already leaving the dorm.

"C'mon, Annabeth!" Thalia called.

"I'm coming!" I slipped on my shoes and bumped into someone outside the door. "Oh God, sorry, Perce!"

"Um, Annabeth," Percy said. His cheeks were flushed and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

"What?" I asked, giving him a weird look.

"I think you forgot something," he said and cleared his throat. He still wouldn't look at me in the face.

"What are you…?" I looked down my body and saw that in the rush of the morning, I had forgotten to put on shorts. My bright red underwear was in full view for all to see. Thankfully, it was only Percy, Nico, Leo and Jason who were in the dorm at the time.

Nico was red in the face and his eyes were wide in shock. Jason was starring up at the ceiling, averting his eyes. Leo was grinning like mad and nodding in approval. Percy was red in the face, even more than Nico, and looking at me sheepishly, but, unlike Nico, he was looking at my face and not my butt.

"Oh God!" I exclaimed and tried to pull my shirt down.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks and ran back into my room, slamming the door. I felt sick to my stomach. I pressed my palms into my eyes and tried to stop the burning feeling of shame and embarrassment that was forming in the pit of my stomach. I took a deep breath and pulled myself together.

Why was I reacting like this? I was never usually fazed by public humiliation, mainly because I had been in such situations so often.

For example, a boy named Ethan, my long-time object of affection in the fourth grade, had purposefully spilled paste in my hair. Helen was at work, the same as my dad, so they couldn't come to pick me up. I had to spend the whole day with Elmer's Glue-All drying in my blonde locks. At the end of the day, it wouldn't wash out, so we had to go get my hair cut so short, I couldn't even pull it into a ponytail. Needless to say, he wasn't my object of affection for much longer.

Another good example would be when Claire, the 'hottest bitch ever' at our school who hated me with a passion (some say that it was because she was secretly a lesbian and was in love with me), spread a rumor about how Percy had supposedly given me crabs when we slept together.

We had never slept together. Heck, we hadn't even kissed each other. The idea of Percy and I in a romantic relationship was so alien to me, so unfamiliar, which was the exact opposite of what Percy was to me. It felt weird just thinking about it.

I quickly dressed myself _completely_ and ran to the dining pavilion. I sat down beside Thalia and felt someone's eyes on me.

I glanced up and Percy quickly averted his eyes and looked down at his cereal. I felt my face flush and stared at the interesting marks engraved on the table.

_Call Bri for hot bj 456-2019_

_L+R 4eva!_

_this camp sux dick_

The usual stuff that you see engraved on public tables. Thalia elbowed me in the side, and gave me a questioning look. I just shrugged and walked over to the buffet line, grabbing myself some toast and some scrambled eggs.

I was so busy staring at the ground in shame, that I didn't see the person standing right in front of me. I walked right into them and my scrambled eggs decorated my shirt and my bra.

"What the-!" exclaimed the voice and I was knocked to the ground.

I looked up to see a boy with light brown dreadlocks and dark brown eyes. He had tanned skin and was wearing a seashell necklace, a torn T-shirt and flip-flops.

"Oh man, I am so sorry," I said and started picking away at the egg on my shirt.

"No, I'm sorry, that was totally my fault," the boy said and helped me off of the cement. "I'm Erin, by the way. Erin Bryce."

"Annabeth Chase," I introduced myself. "I normally don't introduce myself covered in eggs, but I guess the universe felt like mixing it up a bit today."

Erin laughed. "Yeah, I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I wasn't watching where I was walking."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm just gonna go change… I guess I'll se you around."

"Yep," he said and walked away.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Percy starring at me, his green eyes dark. "What the heck was that?" he asked.

"What the heck was what?" I asked and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the counter.

Percy made a wild gesture with his arms. "That!" he said in an angry whisper.

"_That_ was nothing. He bumped into me, we made nice, and he walked away," I said.

Percy made a face and I rolled my eyes. "Well," he said in a pouty voice, "he has stupid hair."

I rolled my eyes. "Grow _up_, Percy."

He pouted and I said, "Well, I don't really feel like staying like this all day, so I am going to go change into something that is not covered in breakfast food."

Percy leaned over my ear. "Don't forget your pants this time," he whispered.

I narrowed my eyes and punched him in the stomach. "Shut up," I growled.

He held his arms up in surrender. "Sorry," he said.

I started to walk out of the pavilion, but Percy started to follow me. I turned on my heel and stared at him quizzically.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Why are you being so cold?" he retorted.

I opened my mouth to say something but shut it at the last second. "I asked you first," I said childishly.

He rolled his green eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'm following you because I feel bad and I don't really want to be alone at that table sitting there awkwardly."

"Thalia's there," I said and gestured to the black-haired girl who was throwing her head back in laughter at something Jason had said.

"Yeah, well," Percy muttered and ruffled his hair, "she's not the same as you."

"And how is she different?" I asked.

He took a step toward me. "She's my cousin. I _have_ to like her. But with you… It's different, okay? It just is."

"Okay," I said and tried to hide a content smile that was fighting its way onto my face.

"Are you going to answer my question now?" he asked in a hushed voice.

I stared into his eyes. "No," I said, "not right now."

"And why not?" he asked in exasperation, though still in a hushed voice.

"Because," I whispered, "the whole pavilion is watching you back me into the wall, Seaweed Brain."

He turned around and noticed the majority of the camp staring at us in interest.

"Remember to leave room for Jesus!" someone called out and I flushed. Everyone laughed and the normal chatter started up once again. Percy cleared his throat and stepped away from me.

"Now if you'll excuse me," I said and started out the door.

The morning sunlight shone through the canopy of tall, magnificent trees. The light danced off of the lake in the distance, the waves lapping gently onto the sand, the dock bobbing up and down joyfully. Te gravel crunched under my flip-flops as I walked down the beaten path to the dorm.

I heard someone else's footsteps behind me and whipped around in surprise. Five years of mixed martial arts had taught me to be quick on my feet and ready to attack.

I placed my hands on my hips when I realized I was in no immediate danger.

"Percy," I asked in frustration, "what are you doing?"

He shrugged. "I'm helping you."

"Bro," I said, "I do not need your help to change my shirt."

He blushed and scuffed the rubber toe of his black Converse. "I know," he muttered, so quietly I almost couldn't hear him.

"Then, why are you here?" I asked quietly and walked closer to him.

"Because- I- I don't know- I just- I miss spending time with you." He looked at his feet and bit his lip, a rosy blush creeping its way up his cheeks.

I swallowed. "Percy, we spend time together pretty much every day."

"Yeah, I know, but it's with Thalia," he said, a hint of desperation tinting his voice.

I frowned in disapproval. "How can you even say that, Percy?"

"What?" he asked, now looking into my eyes. Instead of the confusion I thought I would see, I saw a spark of anger and hurt. "What's so bad about that, Annabeth? What's so bad about me wanting to spend time with you without Thalia around?"

"There's nothing _bad_ about it, per say… But, you _know_ what she goes through at home. She needs us, Percy. She needs us to not push her away," I implored.

"What does she go through at home that's so bad?" he asked, curiosity now replacing his previous anger.

"She didn't tell you?" I asked. He shook his head slowly, trying to mask the hurt. "I-I… I don't know if I should tell you, Percy… I don't know if it's my place…"

"I get it," he said. "Whatever, it's no big deal."

I was silent for a moment. I had started walking to the dorm again, Percy following behind me from a distance.

"I just want to let you know that Thalia's life really isn't the best at home, _especially_ with her mom in her house… I mean, you know that her mom drinks a lot, but…" I stopped myself from letting something slip. "Ugh! Shut up, Annabeth, shut up! Okay. Sorry. I can't tell you, but I wish I could, dammit." I stomped my foot angrily on the deck.

Percy gave me a sad, lopsided smile. He enveloped me in his arms for a second and then released me. "Calm down, Anna Banana… It's not your fault."

I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it and opened the door to the dorm. I walked into my room. Percy stood in the open doorway.

"You can leave, you know," I said.

"What if I jus close my eyes?" he asked in a little kid voice. "Like dis!" He slapped his hands over his eyes, but peaked through his fingers.

I slapped him upside the head and pushed him out of the room.

He pounded on the door. "No! Anna Banana! No! My love, my life! No, you cannot leave me! _I love you!"_ he cried, his fists nearly breaking down the door. I bit back a laugh and bit my bottom lip.

"Mr. Johnson!" a stern voice called from the hallway. I stifled my laughs with my newly changed shirt; I knew for certain that that was Mr. D. "Just _what_ do you think you are doing?"

"Uh…" Percy replied stupidly. "Nothing…?"

"Nothing? Then why on earth were you banging on the door repeatedly, screaming about Annabelle? Honestly, Pedro, I don't care about your unsuccessful love life, and neither does the rest of the camp."

I could almost see Percy's tight expression. "Yes."

"Yes, _sir,"_ Mr. D. corrected curtly.

"Sir," he said, his voice tight and controlled. I smiled evilly: I knew Percy was going to _love_ our grumpy, bitter camp director.

"Now, perhaps you could stop screaming about your pathetic teenage love, and go participate in the daily _required_ activities. Now, Miss Chaise, please hurry up and get to the chapel for morning prayer," Mr. D. said.

"Right. Sorry, sir," I said quickly and threw my hair into a ponytail, opening up the door.

I smiled sweetly at Percy. "Ready to go?" I asked.

He nodded and we linked arms.

"By the way, Miss Chaise," Mr. D. said. I turned to him. "Remember, there is no PDA at camp, okay? Or I will tell the whole camp in the most embarrassing way possible."

"Oh, Percy and I aren't dating, sir. We're just friends," I said.

On the way out the door, I heard Mr. D. mutter to himself, "Just friends my Aunt Petunia."

\

"QUIET!" Mr. Brunner shouted over the noise and chatter of over a hundred adolescents. "Now, I bet all of you are curious to know who your pastor for the week. This man is someone, who, believe it or not, and he is very knowledgeable about God and the Bible and religion in general. So, I would like to introduce you all to Pastor Jonathan!"

A man with receding brown hair and light brown eyes came running in through the side door. His shirt was rumpled and his shorts were riding low on his hips. He looked like he was trying too hard to be young and 'cool'.

"Hello, campers!" he said with an already irritating lisp. "Are you guys ready for an awesome summer?"

I swear he was using as many s's as possible just to annoy us.

"Our first lesson today is on…!" He looked expectant and then disappointed. "Now, come on, guys! This is the part when you make a little drum role! For suspense!"

Was this guy _serious?_

We all looked at each other incredulously, until one brave soul (who just so happened to be Leo) started the drum role against his skinny, twig-like thighs.

"Our first lesson today is on… CHASTITY!"

He flipped a black sheet off of an easel with a large poster dramatically. The poster was of a couple sharing a loving kiss with a large red circle and a line through it.

Oh, wonderful.

* * *

_**Please leave me a lovely review, and feel free to leave some suggestions, requests, etc. on where you want this story to go (more Percabeth, perhaps?).**_

_**And to respond to a PM, this is not a Thalico story. As many of you know, I do not ship Thalico, though I will read a story with it in it. So, I am very sorry to disappoint.**_

_**Also, should I add in more POV's in this, or should I leave it as is?**_

_**Let me know in a review!**_

_**-Lou**_


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